Few college players came back from what Cattage did. In April 1980 his appendix burst, costing him six operations, more than 40 pounds, and 59 days in intensive care, yet he returned to Auburn for his junior year. The Utah Jazz took him in the eighth round of the 1981 draft, 165th overall, and he played the 1981-82 season in Utah before resurfacing with the New Jersey Nets in 1985-86, 78 NBA games in all.
Between and after came the Continental Basketball Association, including the Billings Volcanos. His lone Nets season paid a reported salary of $75,000, honest wages for a player who had already beaten longer odds in a hospital bed.
HOW HE CAME & WENTUtah picked him in the eighth round of the 1981 draft, 165th overall, and he debuted that October — the only NBA season he played for the club.
| SEASON | TEAM | G | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–82 | UTA | 49 | 6.9 | 3.1 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | .444 | .000 | .732 |
| JAZZ TOTAL | 1 SEASON | 49 | 6.9 | 3.1 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | .444 | .000 | .732 |
Season by season, regular season, with this franchise only. More info: Basketball-Reference ↗ · Wikipedia ↗